The invention relates to a sealing device and method for a body shell opening of a flap, particularly a rear tailgate of a motor vehicle.
In the case of all known motor vehicles, where the exterior flap wall of a rear flap has at least one upper and one lower exterior wall part which, on facing circumferential wall areas, in the area of a horizontal point of separation arranged approximately in the transverse direction of the vehicle, have edge areas, which are angled into the interior of the rear flap and are connected with one another, as a result of a fold, which is formed by the angled edge areas, between the exterior wall parts of the exterior flap wall and an interior flap wall to be connected with the exterior flap wall, gaps are in each case formed laterally between the exterior flap wall and the interior flap wall. These gaps are sealed in a costly and partly insufficient manner.
According to the state of the art, it is, for example, being attempted to close or seal the gaps by a PVC flanged fold sealing. The flanged fold sealing is highly fluid and can close or seal gaps at most up to a size of approximately 1.5 mm. Larger gaps cannot be closed off in a waterproof manner by use of the PVC flanged fold sealing so that, in this case, moisture can penetrate by way of the gaps into the interior of the rear flap and may cause corrosion at the rear flap. Another attempt to close or seal off the gap according to the state of the art provides, after a catalytic immersion coating of the rear flap, that PVC is laboriously filled into the lateral gap of the rear flap more or less skillfully and at high expenditures of time and cost. As a result of the extra manual labor, the manufacturing of the rear flap is not reliable and prevents a fully automatic production of the rear flap.
It is an object of the invention to provide a sealing device for a body shell opening of a flap, particularly a rear tailgate of a motor vehicle, which permits a reliable fully automatic production of the flap and can thereby also reliably close off in a waterproof manner a larger gap between the exterior flap wall and the interior flap wall in the area of the angled edges areas of the two exterior wall parts of the exterior flap wall.
This and other objects are achieved by a sealing device for a body shell opening of a flap, particularly a rear tailgate of a motor vehicle. The flap has an exterior flap wall with at least two exterior wall parts which, on facing circumferential wall areas, each have one edge area angled toward the interior. These inwardly angled edge areas are mutually connected, for example, by laser welding. The flap has an interior flap wall, which has at least one interior wall part, that is connected with at least one circumferential area of the exterior flap wall at a distance from the angled edge areas of the exterior wall parts. The interior flap wall, in the area of the angled edge areas of the exterior wall parts, forms a gap together with the exterior flap wall. Before the connecting of the exterior flap wall with the interior wall part, a gap filler piece is inserted into the gap. After the connecting of the exterior flap wall with the interior flap wall, the gap filler piece seals the gap alone or together with a gap sealant. It is a significant advantage of the invention that the corresponding gap is closed, or at least largely reduced, by the gap filler piece such that the gap filler piece alone or at least together with a gap sealant, which at most can seal smaller gaps, can seal off the gap in a waterproof manner. In a fully automatic process, before connecting the exterior flap wall with the interior flap wall, the gap filler piece can be gripped by a gripper and can be positioned, for example, by being fitted onto an area of the exterior flap wall or the interior flap wall. Possibly by using an automatically applied gap sealant, for example, a PVC flanged fold sealing, the corresponding gap is closed and sealed in a waterproof manner after connecting the exterior flap wall with the interior flap wall.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.